One of the top defensive minds in college football is back in the business after a year off. This time, he’s coaching at his former high school in Alabama.
According to a report by Greg Stephenson at AL.com, former Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Jeremy Pruitt has been hired as a PE teacher and assistant coach at Plainview High School (Ala.), where he once attended.
Tennessee Volunteers head coach Jeremy Pruitt during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 21, 2019. [Matt Pendleton/Correspondent]
“AL.com reported Thursday that Pruitt, who was the Dawgs’ defensive coordinator from 2014-15, has been hired as a PE teacher and assistant coach at Plainview High School in Rainsville, Alabama, which is Pruitt’s hometown. He will also coach junior high basketball.”
Pruitt has a background as a defensive backs coach, but he worked his way up the ranks to eventually become head coach at Tennessee. He went 16-19 during his three-year run there from 2018-2020.
Pruitt has also been the subject of a recruiting scandal. He, his wife and some members of his staff at Tennessee were found to have given out impermissible benefits to some players. As a result, he was fired from his position early in 2021 for cause.
Pruitt has also put in time as the defensive coordinator at Georgia, Alabama and Florida State. Most recently, he was a Senior defensive assistant for the New York Giants in 2021 under former head coach Joe Judge. He did not coach at any level during the 2022 season.
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